This application is related to the field of wireless communication systems and more specifically to achieving frequency synchronization to a wireless communication system by blindly determining its frequency hopping characteristics.
Wireless communications has begun to create an ever-expanding group of uses and users. Wireless communications first used for two-way communication in radios and cellular telephony (cell phones) now includes services such as two-way text transmission and even INTERNET access. However, the available bandwidth for wireless communication does not increase as rapidly as the number of users or services increases.
One popular protocol for wireless communication, entitled BLUETOOTH, employs a TDMA spread-spectrum frequency agile or hopping sequence to distribute the available bandwidth among a plurality of users. Frequency hopping and Time Division Multiplexing are well known in the art. BLUETOOTH technology operates on 79 one-MHz channels or frequencies that randomly alternate or change at a rate of 1600 hops/sec. Within each channel are also time division slots that are allocated to active users and contain a portion of the active user's message. The frequency agile or hopping sequence of the BLUETOOTH protocol or specification is based on a Pseudo-random (PRN) number that is generated in accordance with the value of a master node system clock. The pseudo-random sequence length is such that the random number sequence has a repetition period on the order of an entire day. Thus, a user wishing to obtain access to the network must have knowledge of the parameters used to generate the frequency hopping sequence to obtain synchronization with the master node. These parameters are provided in a specific message from the master node that is transmitted when the connection is set up. In the case of BLUETOOTH protocol, these parameters include the master's 8-bit Upper Address Part (UAP), 24-bit Lower Address Part (LAP) and the 27 most significant bits (MSBs ) of its associated clock value, providing sufficient information to a receiving system to synchronize with the frequency hopping sequence.
However, there are many instances where a user desires only to monitor the network and not actively participate. But even in these cases, the user must obtain the necessary information from the server to achieve synchronization with the frequency hopping sequence of the master node. This exchange of information process requires system resources and delays (and may even block) the entry of other users to the network.
Hence, there is a need for a method and system for determining locally the master node frequency hopping sequence and achieving synchronization without exchanging all the needed information or using available bandwidth.
It is to be understood that these drawings are for purposes of illustrating the concepts of the invention and are not to scale. It will be appreciated that the same reference numerals, possibly supplemented with reference characters where appropriate, have been used throughout to identify corresponding parts.